Auxilliary retension garment for passengers of open air transportation

ABSTRACT

As garment with a front and back pair of handles, to be worn by the driver of tandem riders on an open air transportation to provide the riders stability and to lessen the chances of a passenger from being thrown off. The back pair of handles is mounted in an inverted V-shape across the driver&#39;s back to reduce passenger wrist strain. The front pair of handles is mounted vertically upon the driver&#39;s torso and spaced sufficiently close to the driver&#39;s sides to prevent the passenger from having to bend in order to grasp them. The handles may be attached directly to the garment or to a harness permanently sewn or temporarily affixed inside the garment. The harness comprises a pair of parallel belts with quick release buckles connected to shoulder straps that are parallel in front, and crisscross in back above the top belt. The handles attach to both belts in order to evenly distribute passenger loads across the torso of the driver. Expandable side panels within the garment accommodate drivers of different clothing sizes.

PRIORITY CLAIMS TO RELATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority benefit to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Applications Ser. No. 61/419,345 filed Dec. 3, 2010 by StephanPease, entitled “AUXILLIARY RETENSION VEST FOR PASSENGERS OF OPEN AIRTRANSPORTATION”, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a device that provides stability toa driver and a passenger riding in tandem on open air transportation.More particularly, this invention relates to a garment and/or a harnessworn by the driver and comprising removable handles gripped by thepassenger.

BACKGROUND

Over the years the popularity of passengers riding in tandem onmotorcycles, and similar open vehicles has increased. Typically, atandem passenger will hold onto the seat, luggage rack or any otherstructure, including the driver of the vehicle to assist in maintainingbalance while riding on the vehicle. These structures do not providesufficient control to maintain the passenger's balance, when the vehicleis negotiating a sharp turn, rough terrain or the like.

In order to overcome these problems, numerous accessories formotorcycles and similar open vehicles have been developed that areuseful for improving the comfort and or stability of vehicle riders.Typically some such items are backrests, luggage carriers, child seatsand safety harnesses. Also, garments with handles have been devised foruse by the driver of a vehicle. The handles are useful in providing abetter gripping/holding surface for the passenger. Some of the examplesof garments been developed are discussed hereinafter.

The U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,812 discloses a safety handhold for tandemriders. However, the hand grips as provided in this type of prior artreference are mounted around the front of the rider which isdisadvantageous due to the fact that when a force is applied, the forceloading is maintained over a smaller area than that provided in thesubject invention system and thus, creates high stresses.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,292 does provide for a vest-like garment withhandholds for holding into a wearer. However, such prior art systems donot provide for grasping straps on the back of the vest being coupled toa pair of encircling belt members. It is not believed that such priorart systems provide for the load bearing capability as that provided bythe subject invention concept.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,419 discloses a safety garment comprising a vesthaving two series of loops aligned in parallel, whereby straps slidethrough the loops and handles are slide along the straps. The vest maynot be comfortable to wear in warm weather and further may be difficultto wear over bulky clothes worn in cold weather. Also, the handles allowfor reversible displacement in the transverse direction. The reversibledisplacement creates instability in the harness when the passenger isgripping the handles and leaning at the same time. This instability maycause the passenger's balance to be compromised, increasing the risk offalls and injury. Therefore, a need exists for a stable harness withstationary handles.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,222 describes a safety apparatus for passengerson vehicles comprising a waist belt having handles attached to the belt.When the passenger pulls on the handles attached to the waist belt, astrain is transposed to the lower back region of the driver. Also, theupper torso and shoulder movement of the driver is not communicated tothe passenger. Further, the position of the handles requires thepassenger to sit back and away from the driver in order to comfortablygrip the handles. The distance the passenger is positioned from thedriver affects the amount of total forces exerted by the passenger onthe handle. Also, without shoulder straps the waist belt would have atendency to slip down toward the lower torso region of the driver.Additionally, the handles as described are not compact, but instead arebulky. Therefore, a need exists for a compact harness that allows thepassenger to sit proximate to the driver while comfortably holding thehandles of the harness, wherein the upper torso movements of the driverare communicated.

The U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,896 there is described a harness formotorcyclists and the like that adjusts from the back. The harness iscomprised of two independent shoulder straps each having a handleattached thereto, a waist strap, and upper and lower back straps. Theshoulder straps are spaced apart and attach to the waist belt. Byextending the shoulder straps to the waist, instability in the harnessis created. The addition of the upper and lower back straps, attempt tostabilize the shoulder straps. The patent describes adjusting the upperand lower back straps and the buckle of the waist belt from the back,thereby requiring a second person to adjust the harness. Also, byattaching the shoulder straps to a waist belt, the forces applied by thepassenger to the harness are directed towards the shoulders and lowerback of the driver. Therefore, a need exists for an adjustable harness,that reduces the amount of stress to the lower back, and which is stablewhen the passenger applies a force to the handle while leaning towards aside of the vehicle.

Although the above mentioned safety garments and safety harnessesprovide passenger handles, they may still be uncomfortable, bulky,unstable, and/or uneconomical. Thus there is a need in the art todevelop a simple, compact and economical garment with handlesergonomically designed to provide a sturdy, comfortable grip for thepassenger while s/he is riding on open air transportation such asMotorcycle, Jet Ski, Snowmobile, All Terrain Vehicles, Scooter,Horseback, and the like.

SUMMARY

The present invention in general relates to a garment and/or a harnesswith removable handles that provides a sturdy and comfortable grip topassengers riding on an open air transportation such as Motorcycle, JetSki, Snowmobile, All Terrain Vehicles, Scooter, Horseback, and the like.The passenger has a more secure grasp and decreases the possibility ofbeing thrown or dislodged from the vehicle when clasping the handles.The handles may then be removed in the absence of the passenger toprovide a fashionable outer garment.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the garment comprises alightweight upper body garment (e.g. waist-length) substantiallycovering the torso of the driver; and, a plurality of pairs ofdetachable handles covering the upper and middle torso. In a particularembodiment, one pair of handles is coupled to the front of said garmentand one pair to the back of said garment. The garment may furthercomprise expandable side panels with means adjustable to accommodatedrivers of different clothing sizes, such as elastic cloth, lacing orzippers to expand or reduce the torso circumference. The garment maycomprise a variety of materials appropriate for the type oftransportation, such as reflective material for night safety, waterflotation material, wind and water resistant material, etc. . . . In apreferred embodiment, the garment is a waist-length sleeveless vest, ora waist length jacket.

In another embodiment, the garment is lined with a harness comprising: apair of parallel belts members encircling the driver's torso, with a topbelt and a bottom belt secured with a quick release mechanism (e.g.,side release buckles) on the front torso; a pair of shoulder strapsattached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying inparallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torsoabove said top belt; and, a plurality of pairs of detachable handlescoupled to said harness. The handles are accessible to the passenger onthe outside of the garment via slits or openings in the garment thatpermit the opposing ends of the handles to fit through and attach to theharness on the inside of the garment. In a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, each handle attaches to both harness belts (e.g., onehandle end per the top belt and one handle end per the bottom belt).Alternative points of attachment of the handles to the garment orharness are covered within the scope of this invention (e.g., above thetop belt and on the parallel shoulder straps) as long as the force isstill evenly distributed over the harness when pulling on the handles.

The harness of the present invention may be permanently affixed to theinside of the garment, such as sewn or glued, or the harness may betemporarily affixed. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,the harness is temporarily affixed to the inside of the garment liningvia the use of Velcro® strips. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldreadily know of ways to permanently affix the harness to a garmentfabric or to make the harness easily detachable and attachable to thegarment lining.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the harness is usedalone without the outer garment. The structure of the harness isessentially the same, with or without the outer garment: a pair ofparallel belts members encircling the driver's torso, with a top beltand a bottom belt secured with quick release mechanism (e.g., siderelease buckles) s on the front torso; a pair of shoulder strapsattached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying inparallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torsoabove said top belt; and, a plurality of pairs of detachable handlescoupled to said harness. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, each handle attaches to both harness belts (e.g., one handleend per the top belt and one handle end per the bottom belt); but,alternative locations of the handles are permitted as long as the forceis still evenly distributed over the harness when pulling on thehandles.

The handles of the present invention for all embodiments are placed toprovide ergonomic benefits to the passenger, as well as stability to thedriver and passenger. The back handles are mounted diagonally (e.g., aninverted V shape) with the upper end attached near the driver's thoracicspine, and the lower end attached near the driver's outer lower ribcage.This diagonal positioning relieves strain on the passenger's wrists,especially through turns and leaning. The front handles are mountedvertically with the handles' upper end attached near the driver's chestand the handles' lower end attached near the driver's waist. The fronthandles are spaced sufficiently apart to prevent the passenger fromhaving to bend forward in order to hold said handle. Both pair ofhandles, especially when attached to the harness (versus the outsidesurface of the garment in the absence of a harness), provide enhancedstability to the driver by evenly distributing the load forces exertedby the passenger during sharp turns, sudden stops and starts,acceleration and deceleration, and on rough terrain. And although allembodiments of the present invention comprise one or both pair ofhandles as disclosed, additional handles or pair of handles areencompassed within the scope of this invention the placement of whichwould be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Another aspect of the present invention is the structural design and theability to detach the handles, for example when there is not a passengeronboard. The handles of the present invention comprise a strap ofsufficient length for the passenger to easily and comfortably grip withtheir entire palm in contact with the strap, and a quick releasemechanism (e.g., side release buckles) on each opposing end of thestrap. When the buckles are opened to detach the strap of the handle,the one end (e.g., the female end) of the handle remains affixed to theharness or garment.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription. This summary is provided to produce a selection of conceptsin a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify keyfeatures or claimed features of the present invention, nor is itintended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective front view of a vest with handlesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective rear view of the vest with handles ofFIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a particular embodiment of a garment comprisingexpandable side panels with lacing to accommodate different sizedrivers.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective front view of the harness of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the harness of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a removable handle comprising a strap and opposingbuckles, with the female end of said buckles attached to the harness orgarment of the present invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustratedin the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same referencenumbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to thesame or the like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention in general relates to a garment, such as a vest,with removable handles that provides a sturdy and comfortable grip topassengers riding on open air transportation such as Motorcycle, JetSki, Snowmobile, All Terrain Vehicles, Scooter, Horseback, and the like.The handles may be detached from the garment, for example when there isno passenger onboard.

Garment: FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a front view and rear view,respectively, of a garment 100 with handle units 105 according to aparticular embodiment of the present invention, wherein the passengerhandle units 105 are attached directly to the garment 100 in the absenceof a harness. The pair of handles on the front of the garment isparallel to each other, and spaced sufficiently apart so as to preventthe passenger from having to bend over in order to reach them. The pairof handles on the back of the garment is diagonally placed, asillustrated in FIG. 2, to prevent the passenger from straining theirwrist joints during sharp turns and leans. The handle units 105 aredetachable via buckles mounted on opposing ends of the handle straps. Asa result, the garment 100 provides a comfortable grip for the passengerseated behind the driver of the vehicle, and prevents them from beingdislodged in the event of sudden stops or high acceleration ordeceleration, or the like.

The garment 100 is generally made of a lightweight, non-stretchablematerial and may optionally comprise a nylon webbing harness attachedinto the inside of the garment. The garment may be of any design, withor without sleeves, as long as it covers the driver's torso, such as avest, a jacket, a coat, etc. . . . The garment may also comprise amaterial suitable for particular types of open air transportation, suchas reflective material for night safety, water flotation material, andwind and water resistant material.

The garment may further comprise adjustable side panels to accommodatedrivers of different clothing sizes. For example, and as illustrated inFIG. 3, side panels framed with vertical lacing 110 could be used toexpand and reduce the girth of the garment. One of ordinary skill in theart could modify the garment of the present invention with side panelsusing other techniques readily known in the clothing industry, such aszippers covering folds of fabric.

The present invention may further comprise a harness attached to theinside of the garment, or for use alone without the garment. For allembodiments of the present invention in which the garment is lined withthe harness, the garment and harness may be secured together via methodsknown to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the harness maybe sewn into the lining of the garment. Or, as illustrated in FIG. 5,attachment points 160 and 170, the harness may be attached at points tothe garment inner lining via permanent (e.g. stitching or glue), ortemporary methods (e.g., Velcro®).

For all embodiments of the present invention, the harness comprises: apair of parallel belts members encircling the driver's torso, with a topbelt and a bottom belt secured with buckles on the front torso; a pairof shoulder straps attached to both parallel belts in the front and inthe back, said straps lying in parallel across said front torso, andoverlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and, wherein saidplurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled to said pair ofbelts. In a preferred embodiment, one each of the opposing ends of saidhandles are attached to said top belt front and said bottom belt front,and one each of the opposing ends of said handles are attached to theback shoulder straps and the top and bottom belt concurrently.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the harness comprises a top belt122 lying parallel to a bottom belt 132. Preferably, the top belt liesacross the driver's chest and the bottom belt lies across the driver'swaist. In a particular exemplification, the belts and shoulder strapsare made of 1.5 inch flat nylon, the belts are spaced about 11 inchesapart, and the length of the harness is about 24 inches. The belts aresecured in the front with buckles, such as 1.5 inch double adjust siderelease buckles.

Furthermore, the harness comprises two or more shoulder straps. Asexemplified in FIG. 4, the right shoulder strap 140 and the leftshoulder strap 150 lie parallel in the front and are secured to theharness at their point of contact 145 with both the top and bottom belt.One of ordinary skill in the art would readily know of methods forsecuring materials together, particularly flat nylon, via for example,stitching or industrial glue. As shown in FIG. 5, the harness shoulderstraps crisscross on the driver's upper back at 160, which in apreferred embodiment is about two inches above the top belt, but mayalternatively lie lower or higher on the torso. The straps also attachto both the top and bottom back belts at four junctions 210 shown inFIG. 5. Junction points 210 may also comprise the attachment points forthe removable back handles, but other diagonally configured attachmentpoints for the handles to the back of the harness are permitted as longas forces exerted by the passenger are evenly distributed over thegarment. The removable front handles attach to the top and bottom frontbelts as exemplified in FIG. 4, junction 210 so as to prevent thepassenger from having to bend in order to grasp the front handles, butmay alternatively lie at other locations connecting both the top andbottom belts, such as points 145, or one belt and one shoulder strap,and so forth.

Each handle of the present invention, for all embodiments, comprise: astrap with one buckle on each opposing end of the strap, wherein bothends of the handle are attached to the garment, or alternatively to theharness top belt and the bottom belt, or alternatively to the harnessfront and back sides of the shoulder straps. Additionally, when thegarment is used in conjunction with the harness, the garment comprisesslits or openings within the fabric to permit the handles' ends to fitbeneath the garment and attach to the harness, while the strap andbuckles lie accessible on the surface of the garment. And in the absenceof a passenger, the handles may be removed by releasing the buckles.

In a preferred embodiment as exemplified in FIG. 6, handle unit 105comprises a thermoplastic strap 180 of sufficient length to easily begrasped in the passenger's palm. On each end of the strap is attachedthe female member 190 of a one-inch side release buckle. The male member200 of the buckle is attached to the garment or harness by methods wellknown in the art, such as stitching or industrial gluing. (In analternative embodiment, the male and female buckle members may beswitched). For embodiments comprising a garment covering a harness, thefemale 190 and male 200 member of the buckle remain hidden underneath aslit 250 in the garment outer surface. As a result, no part of thehandle 105 is visible on the garment outside surface in situations whenthe buckles are opened to remove the handles. One of ordinary skill inthe art would know of comparable releasable buckles and methods ofattaching them to straps and garments or harnesses for use in thepresent invention.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments thereof, this description is not meant to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, aswell as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent topersons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of theinvention. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications can bemade without departing from the spirit or scope of the present inventionas defined.

1. A garment for tandem riders worn by the driver of open airtransportation, comprising: a) a lightweight garment substantiallycovering the torso of the driver; and, b) a plurality of pairs ofdetachable handles covering the upper and middle torso of said garment,c) wherein each handle comprises a quick release buckle on opposing endsof a strap with one end of said buckle permanently attached to saidgarment, d) whereby the passenger has increased stability riding saidvehicle when clasping said handles.
 2. The garment of claim 1, whereinsaid plurality of pairs of detachable handles are affixed to saidgarment and comprise one pair coupled in a parallel vertical position tothe front of said garment and one pair coupled in an inverted-V shapedposition to the back of said garment.
 3. The garment of claim 2, whereinsaid front handles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require thepassenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles.
 4. The garmentof claim 1 further comprising expandable side panels within said outergarment with means adjustable for drivers of different clothing sizes.5. The garment of claim 1, wherein said handles may be detached fromsaid garment for use in the absence of a passenger.
 6. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein said garment is selected from the group consisting of asleeveless vest, a jacket, or a coat.
 7. The garment of claim 1, furthercomprising a nylon webbing harness sewn into the inside of said garment,comprising; a) a pair of parallel belts members encircling said torso,comprising a top belt and a bottom belt secured with buckles on thefront torso; b) a pair of shoulder straps attached to said parallelbelts in front and back, said straps lying in parallel across said fronttorso, and overlapping across the back torso above said top belt; and,c) wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled tosaid harness and accessible to the passenger on the outside surface ofsaid garment via slits in said garment.
 8. The harness of claim 7,wherein said plurality of pairs of detachable handles are coupled tosaid pair of belts in a manner to evenly distribute passenger loadforces throughout said harness, with one each of the opposing ends ofsaid handles attached to said top belt and said bottom belt.
 9. Theharness of claim 8, wherein said plurality of pairs of detachablehandles comprise one pair coupled in a parallel vertical positionaccessible on the front of said garment and one pair coupled in aninverted-V shaped position accessible on the back of said garment. 10.The harness of claim 9, wherein said front handles are spacedsufficiently apart to not require the passenger to bend in order tograsp said front handles.
 11. The harness of claim 7, wherein saidhandles may be detached from said harness for use in the absence of apassenger.
 12. A nylon webbing harness substantially covering the torsoof the driver, comprising: a) a pair of parallel belts membersencircling said torso, with a top belt and a bottom belt secured with aquick release mechanism on the front torso; b) a pair of shoulder strapsattached to said parallel belts in front and back, said straps lying inparallel across said front torso, and overlapping across the back torsoabove said top belt; and, c) a plurality of detachable handles coupledto said pair of belts comprising a quick release mechanism on opposingends of a strap, wherein said handles are positioned on said harness toequally distributed passenger load forces throughout said harness. 13.The harness of claim 12, wherein said handles comprise a pair of handlesmounted in an inverted-V shape at an ergonomic angle across the driver'sback with the upper handle end attached at the junction of shoulderstraps and the top belt, and the lower handle end attached at thejunction of shoulder straps and the bottom belt.
 14. The harness ofclaim 12, wherein a pair of said handles is mounted vertically on thefront of said harness with the handles' upper end attached to the topbelt and the handles' lower end attached to the bottom belt, and saidhandles are spaced sufficiently apart to not require the passenger tobend in order to grasp said front handles.
 15. The harness of claim 12,wherein said quick release mechanism comprises side release buckles withfemale ends permanently attached to said harness.
 16. A garment fortandem riders worn by the driver of open air transportation, comprising:a) a lightweight waist-length garment substantially covering the torsoof the driver and comprising at least one material selected from thegroup consisting of reflective material for night safety, waterflotation material, and wind and water resistant material; and, b) aplurality of pairs of detachable handles covering the torso, at leastone pair coupled in parallel alignment to the garment front, and atleast one pair coupled diagonally to the garment back; and, c) whereinsaid handles comprise a release mechanism on opposing ends of a strap toquickly remove said handles in the absence of a passenger, d) wherebythe passenger is less likely to be thrown from said vehicle whenclasping said handles.
 17. The garment of claim 16, wherein saiddiagonal pair of handles is ergonomically aligned to reduce adverseforces exerted on passenger wrists.
 18. The garment of claim 16, whereinsaid vertical pair of handles is spaced sufficiently apart to notrequire the passenger to bend in order to grasp said front handles. 19.The garment of claim 16, further comprising expandable side panels withmeans adjustable for drivers of different clothing sizes.
 20. Thegarment of claim 16, wherein said waist-length garment is selected fromthe group consisting of a sleeveless vest, a jacket, or a coat.